To keep her seat in the House of Representatives, Democrat Christine Johnson must fend off challenges from two men hoping to defeat her in November.

Johnson's colleagues on Utah's Republican-dominated Capitol Hill know her as a lawmaker passionate about education and helping people with lower incomes.

She has earned their respect, said Johnson, a Salt Lake City resident.

"I had a very powerful legislator come up to me and say, 'You know, when you first came here, I thought you were going to be this bomb thrower. But you're really not, you're a consensus builder,'" Johnson said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

She described her persona on the Hill as "unapologetically liberal [and] openly lesbian."

"I don't feel like I have to, and I don't want to compromise my personal constitution and my belief of conviction, and I think that I have figured out a way to have a balance in my service where I don't have to compromise things," Johnson said.

She made headlines this year sponsoring a bill that would change anti-discrimination laws in Utah to include protection for gays.

Four bills Johnson passed in her first term include two environmental measures and two that change election laws in the state.

Johnson successfully sponsored legislation that prohibits that sale of some dishwasher detergents that contribute harmful phosphorous to streams.

"I also passed a bill that creates a state standard for idling of school buses, along with a fund to retrofit school buses

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that are the worst air-pollution contributors," she said. "Both of those are bills by which the Sierra Club will be evaluating the environmental friendliness of their legislators."

Johnson boasts that she has effectively served on the House Revenue and Taxation and Judiciary committees.

"I feel like I have a great working relationship with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle," Johnson said. "That relationship has allowed me to be successful."

But a Republican could better represent District 25, which is heavily Democratic, said Salt Lake City resident Garrett Clark, Johnson's GOP opponent in the race.

"I'm not going to alienate the Republican base to pander to left-wing Democrats. I'll focus on the independents," Clark said. "That is the battleground in District 25."

As a legislator, Clark said he would support the preservation of open space, oppose school vouchers and try to reduce crime.

"Democratic and Republicans want their streets to be safe, want their kids to be intelligent and want their air to be clean," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Clark described himself as a "very moderate Republican," claiming that is what is needed in District 25, which includes portions of the Snyderville Basin.

"I feel I would be more effective during the legislative months in dealing with Utah Republicans who are often looked upon with venomous disdain from Democrats," he said. "[Johnson] is not going to be able to roll up on Utah Republicans or Sanpete County people and get a lot done."

Johnson disagrees. Republicans contacted her in the general session this year to ask her opinion about a bill that could have impacted Salt Lake City's Domestic Partner Registry.

"Republicans called me because I had given them some information about a bill that was harmful and had really negative consequences," she said "It reflects that there is a level of respect and that it's based on being approachable and logical and rational."

Also vying for the seat is Salt Lake City resident Clark Miles, a member of the Constitution Party who was not immediately available for comment.